The embodiments described herein relate generally to a machine for forming a container from sheet material, and more particularly to methods and a machine for forming a container from a blank of sheet material by pre-folding the blank around a pre-fold mandrel section, transporting the blank to a mandrel wrap section, and forming the container at the mandrel wrap section.
Containers fabricated from paperboard and/or corrugated paperboard material are often used to store and transport goods. These containers can include four-sided containers, six-sided containers, eight-sided containers, bulk bins and/or various size corrugated barrels. Such containers are usually formed from blanks of sheet material that are folded along a plurality of preformed fold lines to form an erected corrugated container.
At least some known containers are formed using a machine. For example, a blank may be positioned near a mandrel on a machine, and the machine may be configured to wrap the blank around the mandrel to form at least a portion of the container. Because the size and/or shape of blanks and containers can vary widely across industries, it is desirable for such machines to be able to accommodate blanks and/or containers of varying shapes and/or sizes.
At least some known container forming machines use complex devices and mechanisms for forming various sizes and/or shapes of blanks. In order to accommodate various sized and/or shaped blanks, these devices and mechanisms often require moving parts that need to move or rotate along substantially large paths of movement. These large paths of movement require the machine to be large.
Accordingly, it is desirable to have a machine that can form containers where the paths of movement of moving parts are reduced and thus, reduce the overall footprint of the machine.